NYC Inexpensive Hotel

What would be the best budget friendly option for a family (2 adults, 2 teens) to spend a few days in NYC?

Our foreign exchange student and her family are coming to visit us this summer. Since they are flying into JFK they wanted to spend a few days seeing sights in NYC. I know this trip is hugely expensive for their budget, so something relatively affordable would be great. It will need to be somewhat easy to get around though since the parents don't really speak English.

I have no experience at all with public transportation or accomodations in NYC, so any options/opinions would be appreciated.

Prices for hotels in Manhattan skyrocket in the summer time. I agree, check out New Jersey, such as Jersey City. You can check for hotels in the boroughs, but I know from personal experience that they can be as expensive as hotels in Manhattan (at least hotels in Brooklyn).

If they want to be IN Manhattan, go to Quikbook.com and search by neighborhood. Then go to individual hotels (not the chains, the small, independent hotels) and sign up for their email lists. You can get some pretty reasonable rates that way, sometimes. Also check out the national chains, although their best rates are usually for AAA members and government employees (and yes, they check for appropriate membership ID).

There are some relatively cheap deals to be had in the financial district, upper west side near Lincoln Center, and on the East side near the UN. A great deal in Times Square in the summer will cost about $200 a night, and might only have two double beds, and no breakfast.

Good luck. We like to stay near Times Square when in NYC and have never paid more than about $200 a night, tax included, in the summer, but I usually make plans at least 6 months in advance. See if you can catch a good rate at Hampton Inn Times Square North. Also check online hotel search engines and travel sites (AppleCare.com, tripadvisor, Travelocity, etc.)

For budget accommodations we look at Priceline/Hotwire or stay in Secaucus, NJ at the Embassy Suites. It is about three miles from NYC. Bus 320 goes straight into the city and the stop is across the street, it is really easy. We also like the free breakfast and free parking which is rare.

You might want to look into the Club Quarters NYC properties. Non-members pay a little more but they sometimes have competitive rates.

While a bargain is possible, its not going to be easy. I would recommend something outside the city, but with easy access to the city by Public Transportation, as parking is horrendously expensive if you drive (same with hotel parking). In the past we have stayed at some of the Marriott properties around Newark and took the train into the city. I have recently read that an even better bet is the hotels near NJ Penn Station (if you can find good safe one) and that the NJ Penn train is only a couple of dollars a person RT, whereas the train right at Newark is like $10 per person ea way.

While a bargain is possible, its not going to be easy. I would recommend something outside the city, but with easy access to the city by Public Transportation, as parking is horrendously expensive if you drive (same with hotel parking). In the past we have stayed at some of the Marriott properties around Newark and took the train into the city. I have recently read that an even better bet is the hotels near NJ Penn Station (if you can find good safe one) and that the NJ Penn train is only a couple of dollars a person RT, whereas the train right at Newark is like $10 per person ea way.

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Check Hoboken. Close as can be and a beautiful scenic ride back/forth on the Hudson River..

We stayed at a Wyndham hotel in Long Island city. It was just a short walk to the subway or bus stop. The room was small but clean and modern. There is a little deli next door that is open weird hours but the bagel breakfast sandwhiches are delicious and cheap. The owner was really nice and gave my daughter a banana every morning

I got Chelsea Savoy hotel right before July 4th or $135 by calling the hotel directly. It is walking distance from Penn Station and has free continental breakfast. We had an l shaped room with two double bed and a cot.

We stayed in Jersey City at the Hyatt. There are also a few other hotels in Jersey City that'd be cheaper than the Hyatt, and they all seem within walking distance of the PATH-subway to NYC that connects to the MTA subway.